Washing machine and a combination of a washing machine and a centrifugal machine



6, 1957 T. BOEKEE 2,801,533

WASHING MACHINE. AND A COMBINATION OF A WASHING MACHINE AND A CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE Filed Aug. 10, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIGA.

Aug. 6, 1957 T BOEKEE 2,801,533

WASHING MACHINE AND A COMBINATION OF A WASHING MACHINE AND A CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE Filed Aug. 10, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent *ice WASHING MACHINE AND A COMBINATION OF A WASHING MACHINE AND A CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE Tennis Boekee, Haarlem, Netherlands Application August 10, 1951, Serial No. 241,212

Claims priority, application Netherlands August 11, 1950 11 Claims. (Ci. 68-26) The present invention relates to a washing machine for household use intended for washing clothes, fabrics or similar articles and comprising a container for washing liquid, such as water with or without soap or other washing ingredients, and a driven rotary agitator member within the container for agitating the contents thereof; the invention also relates to a washing machine of the kind described in combination with a centrifugal machine comprising a driven rotary perforated drum or similar member for driving out the water contained in the wet clothes or other articles after the washing by means of the centrifug al force exerted on these articles when put in the rotating drum.

It is an object of the invention to provide a washing machine of the kind described being of a simple and sturdy construction and ensuring a high washing efliciency.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a washing machine in which the mechanical part forms a separate unit which may be easilyassembled with or removed from the container for the washing liquid.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a simple construction for a combined washing and centrifugal machine which is easy to operate, cheap in manufactureand durable in use,

The washing machine accordingto the invention generally comprises a container for washing liquid into which a housing positioned at the upper end thereof extends downwards to a point where its bottom will normally be submerged in the washing liquid, while at the bottom of this housing a rotary agitator member is mounted so that it extends into the container and is adapted to be rotated by a driving motor placed inside the housing.

In this way it is possible to build the mechanical part of the machine, consisting of the housing with agitator disc, and driving motor, as a separate unit, which according to an embodiment of the. invention may he provided with means for removably. suspending the unit to the upper side or edge of the container. This construction further allows to combine the washing machine with a centrifugal machine in a relatively simple way, to which end accord.- ing to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the driving motor is mounted in .a vertical position in the housing and the vertical motor shaft is coupled at its lower end to a o ft ca r in the a it to m m r a at its upper end to a vertically mounted perforated centrifugal drum of in itself known construction. Preferably the eentrifugal .drum is fixedly mounted on the upper motor shaft end. The machine may thus be operated at the same time as a washing machine and as a centrifugal machine.

The rotary. agitator member is preferably situated in an eccentrical position in the eontainer near the side wall thereof and at a short distance below the normal level of the washing liquid. On rotation of the agitator it p r a h liquid h reby csmin eusly move around in the container in a number of superimposed flows and that a good washing efiiciency is obtained.

r 2,801,533 Patented Aug. 6, 1957 The washing efficiency may be further improved when according to an embodiment of the invention the agitator member has a disc-like form and is provided with a pine rality of projecting ribs, at least one of which ribs having a through-hole in its body, which opens in its trailing side wall and communicates with a recess formed in the house ing bottom to the rear of the agitator disc, while an air inlet duct is provided which leads through the housing to open into the recess. Because of the suction occurring at the trailing side of the ribs on rotation of the agitator disc, air will be sucked in through the air inlet duct to the recess and through the openings in. the ribs, to be, whipped deep down into the washing liquid by the rotating ribs, which stream of air bubbles flowing through and along the clothes moving around in the container favourably effects the washing efliciency of the machine.

The novel arrangement according to the present invention and the advantages of this arrangement will appear more fully from the following description and claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example an embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1' is a front elevational view of the combination washing and centrifugal machine of the invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the machine of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the line III-III of Fig. 1, showing the motor housing and centrifugal machine in detail; and

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the motor housing and rotary agitator of the machine of Figs. 1-3 as seen from the bottom of Fig. 3.

The washing machine as shown in the drawings comprises an outer mantle 1 covered by a cover plate 2 and surrounding a container 3 for washing liquid, through to be washed into the container 3 and a circular opening 7 for letting through the housing 4 are cut out in th cover plate 2.

As appears more fully from Figure 3, the cylindrical motor housing 4 projects with its upper end eccentrically into a second cylindrical housing 8 of greater diameter, which housing 8 is closed by a removable cover 9 and contains the drum 10 of the centrifugal machine. The housing 4 is welded to the annular bottom 11 of the housing 8, both housings thus constituting a single unit, which is supported by the cover plate 2 by means of three elastic angular rubber blocks 12. The horizontal portions of these blocks lie between the bottom 11 of the housing 3 and the cover plate 2, whereas the vertical portions of the blocks extend downwards closely fitting between the side wall of the housing 4 and the inwardly bent annular edge portion 13 provided along the circumference of the circular opening 7 in the cover plate 2. The unit formed by the housings 4 and 8 may thus be mounted on or lifted from the cover plate 2 without the need of tightening or loosening any further fastening means. The annular bottom 11 of the housing 8 is provided with a number of drain holes 14, which open over the annular opening enclosed between the edge portion 13 and the side wall of the housing 4 and which allow the water flung from the passing through the aperture just mentioned, which disc is provided with an upturned circumferential rim portion projecting into the recess 17 close to the lower recess wall as is clearly shown in Figure 3. The agitating disc is formed from a circular plate having pressed therein a number of radially extending ribs 18 with rounded edges. On the non-exposed side of the disc the hollow ribs 18 form recesses communicating with or rather forming a part of the recess 17. Near its outerend each rib 18 has an aperture 19 bored in its trailing side wall, the direction of rotation of the agitator disc being indicated by the arrow in Figure 4. These apertures cause the suction occurring on the rear side of the ribs 18 on the rotation of the disc to spread into the recess 17 to a purpose to be described below.

At the bottom of the housing 4 a base member 20 is situated, which carries the electromotor 21 placed in a vertical position; in Figure 3 only the watertight casing and motor shaft 29 of the latter are shown. The base member 20 comprises a cylindrical portion 22 projecting downwards with its threaded end through the aperture in the bottom of the housing 4 and provided with a central bore in which the agitator shaft 24 is mounted by means of a bearing bush 23 and sealing rings 2.

The base member 20 further comprises a horizontal flange portion 26 extending eccentrically of the cylindrical portion 22 and provided at its upper surface with an upwardly extending substantially cylindrical wall portion 27 supporting on its annular upper surface the casing of the motor 21 fastened thereto by means of bolts such as 28. The lower end wall of the motor casing, wall portion 27 and flange portion 26 enclose an oil filled gear case for a reducing gear comprising a pinion 30 fixedly mounted on the lower end of the motor shaft 29 and a toothed wheel 31 engaging pinion 30 and fixedly mounted on the upper end of the agitator shaft 23. The motor shaft 29 is mounted in the lower end wall of the motor casing by means of a thrust bearing 51 and in the upper end wall of the motor casing by means of a ball bearing 52.

At its upper end the motor shaft 29 passes with ample room for play through an opening in a cover 32 fitted on the housing 4 by means of a packing ring 50. A disc 34 is fixedly mounted on the upper end of the motor shaft by means of a screw bolt 33, which disc carries the drum fastened thereto with screws 35. The cylindrical wall of the centrifugal drum 10 is perforated in the known manner to allow the passage of water.

The base member 20 with motor 21 and drum 10 are as one body resiliently supported by a thick ring 36 of rubber or a similar material, which ring closely surrounds the cylindrical portion 22 of the base member 20 and is mounted in the opening of the botom of the housing 4 by means of the edge portion 16' engaging an anular groove in the side wall of the ring. The ring 36 further lies compressed between the flange portion 26 of the base member and a washer 37 engaged by a nut 28 screwed on the threaded end of the cylindrical portion 22 situated in the recess 17. The rubber ring 36 thus not only resiliently supports the base member but also effectively serves as a sealing ring.

Because the motor 21 and drum 10 lie eccentrically with respect to the supporting ring 36, preferably two further supporting blocks 9 of rubber or a similar material are provided in order to keep the motor in its vertical position. These blocks are positioned to one side of the ring 36 and are each at their upper surface bonded to a plate 40 bolted to the flange portion 26, whereas they rest with their bottom surface on a brace-like member 41 secured by welding to the bottom of the housing 4. As appears from Figure 3, these members have a central aperture receiving a boss on the bottom surface of the blocks, so as to allow a free vertical movement of the blocks 9 relative to the members 41 while preventing any substantial lateral movement of the blocks.

In the cylindrical portion 22 a canal 42 has been bored, which at its lower end opens into the recess 17 and at its upper end is connected to a rubber tube 43 which leads through the interior of the housing 4 to a box-like member 44 mounted on the inner housing wall. The box-like member 44 is situated somewhat above the normal water level indicated at 49 in the container 3 but below the upper rim of the container and its interior communicates with the outside through apertures 45 provided in the housing wall. If so desired, the size of these apertures 45 may be made adjustable by any suitable means.

The electromotor 21 may be connected to a current supply source by means of a cable 47 led through a rubber tube 48, which bridges the space between the walls of the housings 4 and S.

The functioning of the machine is as follows.

On filling the container 3 with water or any other suitable washing liquid up to the level indicated at 49 and on switching on the motor 21, the motor shaft 29 through the gearing 3t), 31 will drive the agitator shaft 23 at a reduced rotational speed, causing the agitator disc 5 to rotate in the direction of the arrow of Figure 4. The ribs 18 of the agitator disc 5 cause the water to circulate in the container in continuous complex flows, the nature of which is ditficult to determine with exactitude. Be= cause of the eccentric position of the agitator disc, how ever, the water expelled from this disc has a general tendency to flow first across the container until it meets the side wall to be guided down this side wall and over the bottom, to be drawn upwards again towards the disc along the opposite side wall. At the same time there are several circulating cross currents in a general hori zontal plane guided by the cylindrical container wall. In any case, the result is that the clothes to be washed put into the container through the opening 6 in the cover plate 2, are taken along by the resulting water currents in continuous circular movements through the container without accumulating in any dead spots. Be cause of their rounded form, the agitator ribs can do no damage to the clothes, nor can the clothes enter the recess behind the agitator disc as the upturned circun1- ferential disc edge lies close to the recess wall.

On the rotation of the agitator disc, the resulting area of low pressure on the trailing side of the ribs 18 will cause air to be sucked in through the air intake apertures 45, the tube 43, the canal 42 into the recess 17 and through the apertures 19 of the agitator ribs into the container, the air entering the water through the apertures 19 in small bubbles which are whipped deep down into the water by the rotating ribs of the disc. This continuous stream of air bubbles moving along and through the clothes in the container appreciably increases the washing efliciency of the machine. In case the water contains much soap, the air bubbles appear greatly to increase the amount of lather formed on the water surface, which lather may even raise above the container edge. To limit this excessive lathering, the air intake apertures 45 have been positioned below the upper container edge, whereby the air is sucked out of the soap bubbles as soon as they reach up to these apertures. The agitator disc will thus suck in a warm mixture of air, vapour and lather, which further increases the washing eificiency and has no cooling effect on the warm washing liquid.

On driving the agitator, the electric motor 21 will at the same time rotate the centrifugal drum 10 fixedly mounted on the upper motor shaft end. When a first load of clothes has been washed, it may on being replaced by a second load in the container, immediately be put into the drum, so that the machine will then function as a washing machine and a centrifugal machine at the same time. The water is driven out of the wet clothes in the rotating drum through the perforated drum wall and flung against the inner wall of the housing 8, whereafter it flows down through the drain holes 14 into the container 3.

The elastic mounting of the unit formed by the base member 20, the motor 21 and the men the bottom of the housing 4 by means of the rubber ring 36 together with the additional supporting blocks 39 allow the loaded centrifugal drum and motor shaft to oscillate freely at the upper end While effectively absorbing these oscillations to prevent any undue vibrating of the housing unit 4, 8.

These vibrations are further absorbed by the rubber blocks 12 between the housing unit 4, 8 and the cover plate 2, whereby the container 3 and mantle 1 are practically free of vibrations.

The container may be mounted in the outer mantle resting on a base frame as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1, while the cover plate 2 may be bolted onto the mantle and container with rubber sealing rings placed therebetween. Also a removable cover may be provided for closing the opening 6 when the washing machine is in operation. As these features, however, form no intrinsic part of the invention, they have not been specifically shown in the drawings.

Although the unit formed by the housings 4 and 8 has been shown in combination with a container arrangement especially designed for that purpose, this unit may also be provided with securing means allowing it to be mounted to the upper edge of wash-boilers of traditional design.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

l. A Washing machine, comprising a housing adapted to be mounted on a container for washing liquid in a position extending downwards into said container to a point at which its bottom will normally be submerged in the washing liquid, said container being adapted to contain the washing liquid at a predetermined normal level, an agitator disc mounted against the under side of the housing bottom and fixed on a rotary shaft extending upwards through said housing bottom, said housing bottom containing a recess behind the agitator disc so as to form an enclosed space between the recessed bottom portion and the rear side of the agitator disc, said agitator disc being provided on its exposed face with a plurality of projecting ribs, at least one of said ribs having a bore in its body opening in the trailing side wall thereof and communicating with the space inside said recess in the housing bottom, an air inlet canal leading through said housing to open into said recess in the housing bottom, and a driving motor mounted inside said housing and coupled to said agitator shaft.

2. A washing machine according to claim 1, in which the housing bottom has an annular inwardly bent portion to form said recess, said portion enclosing an opening in said bottom in which the agitator shaft is sealingly mounted.

3. A washing machine according to claim 1, in which the rotary agitator disc is formed from a circular plate and said ribs are substantially radially extending rounded elements pressed therein, the bore in each trailing wall portion of said ribs being near the outer ends of the latter, and said disc is further provided with a circumferential upturned edge portion projecting into said recess in the housing bottom and lying close to the side wall of the recess.

4. A washing machine according to claim 1, in which the air inlet canal at its upper end opens in the side wall of the housing at a point above the normal liquid level in the container but below the upper edge of the latter.

5. The combination of a washing machine and a centrifugal machine, comprising a housing adapted to be mounted on a container for washing liquid in a position extending downwards into said container to a point at which its bottom will normally be submerged in the washing liquid, said container being adapted to contain the washing liquid at a predetermined normal level, said bottom having a hole therein, a rotary agitator member positioned against the outside surface of said bottom of said housing and fixed to the end of an agitator shaft extending upwards through said hole in said bottom and rotatably mounted therein, a driving motor mounted in a vertical position inside said housing having a driving shaft coupled at its lower end to said agitator shaft, and a perforated centrifugal drum mounted on the upper end of said motor shaft.

6. The combination of a washing machine and a centrifugal machine comprising a housing adapted to be mounted ona container for washing liquid in a position extending downwards into said container to a point at which its bottom will normally be submerged in the washing liquid, said container being adapted to contain the washing liquid at a predetermined normal level, said bottom being provided with a hole, a base member inside said housing and having a cylindrical portion extending vertically downwards through said hole, said cylindrical portion having an axial bore, a ring-like supporting member of elastic material mounted in said hole and clampingly and sealingly engaging said cylindrical portion to elastically support said base member, an agitator member positioned against the outside housing bottom wall, an agitator shaft fixed at its lower end to said agitator member and rotatably but non-slidably mounted in the axial bore provided in said cylindrical portion, sealing means between said agitator shaft and the inner bore wall, a driving motor fixedly mounted in. a vertical position on said base member and having a motor shaft extending on both sides of said motor, coupling means between the lower end of the motor shaft and the upper end of said agitator shaft, and a perforated centrifugal drum fixedly mounted on the upper end of said motor shaft.

7. The combination of a washing machine and a con trifugal machine, comprising a container for washing liquid, said container being adapted to contain the washing liquid at a predetermined normal level, a cover plate covering said container and provided with two eccentrical holes, one of said holes allowing the articles to be washed to be introduced into said container, a housing mounted on said cover plate and extending downwards through the other one of said two holes intothe container to a point at which its bottom will normally lie a short distance below the liquid level, a base member elastically and sealingly mounted in an opening in said bottom wall, an agitator shaft passing through said opening being rotatably and vertically mounted in said base member, an agitator member fixed to the lower end of said shaft and lying close to the lower surface of said bottom wall, a motor fixedly mounted in a vertical position on said base member having the lower end of its driving shaft coupled to said agitator shaft, a cover on said housing having an opening through which the upper end of the motor shaft extends upwards with adequate room for lateral play, a perforated centrifugal drum fixedly mounted on the upper end of the motor shaft, and a second housing enclosing the centrifugal drum and being of larger diameter than said first housing, said second housing enclosing the upper portion of the first housing and having an annular bottom secured to the circumference of the side wall of the latter, a plurality of water drain holes being provided in said annular bottom.

8. The combination of a washing machine and a centrifugal machine according to claim 7, in which the opening in the container cover plate through which the first housing projects has a greater diameter than said housing, so as to leave an annular aperture between the housing wall and the edge of said opening, the water drain holes in the annular bottom of said second housing lying above said annular aperture.

9. The combination of a washing machine and a centrifugal machine according to claim 7, in which the second housing extends radially over the edge of said cover plate opening, and further comprising a plurality of angular supporting blocks of elastic material for mounting said two connected housings on said cover plate, each block having a horizontal portion lying between the annular bottom plate of the second housing and the upper surface of the cover plate and having a downwardly extending portion closely fitting between the edge of said opening and the side wall of the first housing.

10. A washing machine comprising a container for washing liquid, said container being adapted to contain the washing liquid' at a predetermined normal level, a housing positioned in the upper portion of said container, an agitator member mounted for rotation in the bottom of said housing and situated below the normal liquid level in the container, said agitator member being provided with projecting ribs, at least one of said ribs having a bore in its body opening at one end in the trailing side wall thereof, and an air inlet canal communicating with the other end of said bore.

- 11. A washing machine comprising a container for washing liquid, said container being adapted to contain the washing liquid at a predetermined normal level, a housing positioned in the upper portion of said container, an agitator member mounted for rotation in the bottom of said housing and situated below the normal liquid level in the container, said agitator member being provided with projecting ribs, at least one of said ribs having a bore in its body opening at one end in the trailing side wall thereof, and an air inlet canal communicating'with the other endof said bore, said air inlet canal having its upper end opening in the side wall of the housing at a point above the normal liquid level in the container bu below the upper rim of the container.

9' References Cited in the file of this patent 4 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,925,038 1,983,788 Brennan Dec. 11, 1934 1,995,925 Kirby Mar. 26, 1935 1,995,926 Kirby Mar. 26, 1935' 2,135,084 Kirby -n Nov. 1, 1938 2,257,932 Basler Oct. 7, 1941 2,375,635 Dyer May s, 1945 2,527,239 Woodson Oct. 24, 1950 Rasmussen Nov. 13, 1951 Reddig Aug. 29, 1933 

